The power of visualization in achieving goals
I've always found that writing down your goals and your plan of how to achieve and accomplish them is a good way to make sure the tasks you want to complete are actually completed. If you're trying to lose weight or get fit, it's helpful for you to break the goal down into smaller ones such as taking 3,000 steps each day. It may be a lofty goal, but breaking it down will help keep you motivated, especially when combined with positive visualization techniques such as no home screen consisting only of fitness apps.
One of the ways to motivate yourself with a positive outlook is to visualize yourself as a person who has already accomplished your goal. For example, if you are trying to lose weight, it's much more helpful for you to visualize yourself as someone who has already lost the weight, rather than someone who is still overweight.
Giving credit where credit is due, I have been inspired by the work of psychologist Gabriele Oettingen in her book Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside The New Science of Motivation . I am also aware that there is a lot of research being done to back up the power of positive thinking.
It's hard to even imagine how powerful visualization can be in achieving your goals. For example, in one study conducted by Oettingen, test groups were told to either daydream about losing weight through diet and exercise or daydream about receiving a prize. Two weeks later, those who were asked to daydream about losing weight through diet and exercise lost twice as much weight as the group who was asked to daydream about receiving a prize.
It's a fact of the matter that you may already know: each one of us is living our life at any given time. If we think about it, that doesn't make sense, does it? You are simultaneously living a new day in the present while also living the past and future. But you are not actually doing this because your brain is so connected to the past and future. And you are not aware of this either because everything happens in so fast that you have no time to perceive it.
In order for us to change our lives we have to be conscious of what is happening moment by moment.
It's not enough for us to think about our goals and how we can achieve them. We have to be conscious of the fact that we are, in fact, already living the life we want. If you realize that you have already lost your weight then it will be easier for you to lose weight because your brain now accepts it as a reality.
Daydreaming is a powerful tool because it helps us connect with our true selves and reach out to that part of ourselves which is living in the future. When Oettingen's studies were done, she found that people are able to have more control over their future selves than their past selves because they are able to perceive it directly through their daydreams. The same is true for you.
So, aside from making sure that your goals are realistic, you might also have to take into account the power of visualization because our brains are so tied up in the past and present that we can't just "wake up" and realize that we've already done what we want to do.
Positive thinking is a good tool to help us get closer to achieving our goals but the truth is that it's not enough. We have to be conscious of what's happening moment by moment and know that our brains may not always be able to perceive things as well as if we were living in a dream state where everything was clear and lucid.
However, through conscious effort and positive visualization we can live through the dream state of our future lives.
I've certainly experienced the power of daydreaming when it comes to dieting and fitness. Whenever I am on a diet or working out, I will often concentrate only on the fact that I will be able to achieve my goals, even if those goals are as small as seeing a weight loss message in my smartphone's status bar after 2 weeks of being on a diet or having lost 5 lbs.
When we are subconsciously thinking about all the things we want to do, we tend to forget what's happening right now. This is what helps us prevent ourselves from achieving a goal.
We have to be conscious of what's happening moment by moment in order to be able to achieve our goals. Our brains are so tied up in the past and present that we tend to forget that there is a future and we are able to connect with it. Daydreaming is a powerful tool which helps us connect with our future selves.
That's not to say that just daydreaming will enable us to change everything about ourselves, but it is one of the keys to help us realize that our dreams can become a reality.
Stay positive!
Author: Katerina Berdou/Health-Talk-Website
Credits: This article was originally written on Health Talk Website . The author of this article is Katerina Berdou. Copyright belongs to the author.
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This post was inspired by an article written by Katerina Berdou called 'The power of visualization in achieving goals'. To read her article, please visit http://healthtalkwebsite.com/did-you-know/articles/121-the-power-of-visualization.html .
Comments: 1 Comment »
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Conclusion : 4 secrets to help you achieve your goals
1. Have realistic goals
2. Set the right time frame for the goals
3. Make sure your goals are concrete and measurable
4. Use visualization to connect with your future self
The most important thing to remember is that we have to be conscious of what is happening moment by moment in order to acheive our goals... Reply Delete
This post was inspired by an article written by Katerina Berdou called 'The power of visualization in achieving goals'. To read her article, please visit http://healthtalkwebsite.com/did-you-know/articles/121-the-power-of-visualization.html .